


The Warmth Of Acceptance

by AllesandraQ



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-13
Updated: 2017-07-13
Packaged: 2018-12-01 14:01:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11487843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllesandraQ/pseuds/AllesandraQ
Summary: She looks over the scene. Her family, and his. Her brother here with them, even if he was there for only a couple days, mixing just fine with Cullen's family. Soon his family would be hers, she knows. She heard Rosalie and Mia asking Cullen in a hurried whisper if he planned on asking her, and when.(Set after the events of Inquisition, but before the events of Tresspasser)





	The Warmth Of Acceptance

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the /r/DragonAge art/fic exchange. I got littlebloodmage's Willow Lavellan, and I hope I did her justice.

**Setting: A village in South Reach- 2 Months Before The Events Of Trespasser**

 

"Is everything okay?"

 

Adahl looks away from the spot he was staring at- a small garden. She had noticed him sitting on the bench in front of it, looking pensive nearly and she headed out quickly, worrying slightly. Cullen had gotten into a debate with his sister, and he would no doubt notice she was not there soon enough.    
  


"I am fine, sister. Just thinking." 

  
"Are they good thoughts?," She says softly, coming over to sit next to him. This was his seventh visit with her, Cullen and his family- there were a few more people, more children really than past visits had, and she wondered if he felt a little overwhelmed. She know she did the first couple times. She ended up retreating to the small study every now and then and read a book to help center herself. 

  
"Just some lost thoughts, but otherwise good ones," he says, a slight smile. 

  
"I'm glad you could get away for this."

  
"It felt like ages since we last saw each other," he says, his green eyes meeting hers before looking back out at the garden. "I had not been out before, I wanted to see."

 

"It's a memorial of sorts for their parents, they died trying to escape the Blight."

 

He shakes his head, sympathy crossing his face. 

  
"Willow?" Cullen's voice calls out, and she recognizes the note of anxiousness there. Most wouldn't recognize it, but she's not most. They know how to read each other quite well now.    
  


"We are out here," she calls out, raising her normally soft voice. A door opens and Cullen steps out. The muffled shouts of a couple of the children and some of the other adults can be heard a little more clearly now, but only temporarily as the door closes. Cullen's worried expression disappears and he smiles. 

  
"She was just telling me what this garden was for," Adahl  speak up. "I had come out here to take in the view of it. I had not seen it last time." 

 

"Mother loved lillies, Father enjoyed the carnations," Cullen's voice stays even, but she catches the hint of sadness as he eyes the flowers and plants. "She used to be in the garden for hours at home, Father watched her and occasionally brought out water to her. Mia and her husband tend it now.

 

"I am sorry for the loss," Adahl  says, not looking away from Cullen, who hasn't looked away from the flowers. He seems to be studying him, something he did the last couple meetings they had. "The Blight took a lot of people."    
  


"Elven, dwarven, human," Willows murmurs. 

 

"We make up for the losses however we can though," Cullen offers a smile to her brother as Willow stands up and he slides an arm around her waist, kissing her cheek before turning to her brother. "Are you enjoying the visit Adahl? I apologize if it is rather noisy, not often when all of us get together, but it's a good one."

 

"Children tend to be nosey, I know I was once."

 

"Once?" Willow raises an eyebrow. She may be the youngest, but she heard the stories. 

 

"I am not so noisy now, sister," Adahn smiles. "The Keeper says my stealth has greatly improved for the hunting. Better late than never, I suppose.” 

 

Willow feels a little homesick at the mention of Keeper Deshanna, the only other elf in her clan she was close to. But she has not bothered to return to Clan Lavellan in recent months for even a quick visit- the last one was tense as it was, and the looks that some gave her and Cullen left her with a sour taste in her mouth.   
  


"I take it you had problems with stealth?" 

  
Adahl grimaces. "For a while, my feet seemed to find the nearest fallen tree branch to break." 

  
"Or the nearest rock to kick." 

  
Adahl makes a face at her, and Cullen chuckles.

 

**(A few hours later)**

 

"I hope you enjoyed the food, Adahl," Mia says to the elf as the table is cleaned up by her husband. "I wanted to make a couple dishes that you and Willow are used to."

 

Adahl looks pleased, also a little surprised. "Yes, it's not quite the same taste, but it was still good."

 

"Mia had help," Rosalie calls out, causing the children who had gone quiet earlier to burst out giggling. 

 

The Rutherford family had expanded over the past couple years. Mia and her husband had taken in his sister's kids after they had died, Rosalie's oldest was about to turn two, and she was halfway through her second pregnancy. Cullen’s nephew had just recently turned ten and had some friends over, and they had been doing their best to keep the little ones out of the way of the adults.    
  


"Don't sell out our sister now," Branson calls out. 

  
"I wasn't."

 

"Yes, you were," Cullen joins in.    
  


Mia shrugs it off. "Willow helped me, I was so nervous to make the dishes wrong. I had Arine make the dishes last time, I begged her really, wanted to make sure Willow and Adahl had dishes that made them feel comfortable, and not stuff them with roast turkey again."

 

"I love the roast turkey," Willow insists. She does. Most human food in incredibly rich, but she always enjoys Mia and Rosalie's cooking.   
  


"Who is Arine?" Adahl asks. 

  
"An elven woman who runs a small little bakery with her husband at the other end of the town. She's very lovely, and once I explained to her what I was doing--"

 

"She mentioned she was cooking for the Inquisitor's brother," Rosalie kicks in. "She went all aflutter after that. You two will have to stop by and let her know now that your prior meals were delicious."

 

"Well they were, and today they were as well. I thank you for thinking of me and my sister in that manner. Most- sh-- most wouldn't."

 

No one caught the near slip except Willow, and she caught the brief look of embarrassment on his face.

  
Rosalie comes into the dining room then, flicking her braid of blonde hair back, frowning. "It's important to do so. It's your culture, you should be able to enjoy your foods even when you’re not amongst clanmates.”

  
"And I know you love my food and the roast turkey, I just wanted to make something different," Mia adds before Adahl could respond to Rosalie. 

 

**(Later- The sky is starting to darken as the sun sets)**

 

Willow and Cullen are sitting in wooden chairs in the large living room.  Willow reading a book, one of the ones she had brought with her when they left Skyhold, Cullen just resting. In the living room, there was enraptured silence as Adahl was entertaining the oldest children with tales the story teller from the Clan had told hundreds of times. Every now and then she would look up and she noticed that the adults in the room also looked as enraptured as the children did.    
  


Adahl was currently telling a tale of of two young elves who had defied their keeper and gone searching for a beast that was supposedly controlled by Fen'Harel. Mythal saved the two young elves in a battle with the Dread Wolf. Willow turns her attention back to her book, although now she wonders if Mythal had truly done that, or if ithe story was false. She mentally shakes her head, deciding it would not do to dwell on the fact she had met one of her people's Gods. 

  
The story continues and is soon followed by another. This one more dramatic, and she hears Cullen's hitched breath and smiles to herself. His hand clutches hers a few minutes later, and she looks up to find herself meeting his gaze. 

  
He leans over. "Did you ever expect to see something like this?" he whispers. 

  
She looks over the scene. Her family, and his. Her brother here with them, even if he was there for only a couple days, mixing just fine with Cullen's family. Soon his family would be hers, she knows. She heard Rosalie and Mia asking Cullen in a hurried whisper if he planned on asking her, and when. 

  
The children clearly adored Adahl, and they adored her, as did other members of Cullen's family. It was evident tonight with the meal and the talking. Adahl and Rosalie got into a debate about without anyone getting angry or slurs being hurled, the children had all peppered Adahl and Willow with questions about Dalish life until Adahl started to tell the tales. 

  
No angry feelings, no tensions, no worries. No one staring, or saying cruel things in whispers just loud enough for her to hear. No judgement, no disgusted faces, or talks about curses. Instead they were being welcomed, embraced, and loved.  Just two families together.    
  


No, she never expected this. 

  
She smiles and kisses him, feels his hand wrap around the edge of her braid. "It's more than I ever expected." 


End file.
